Just Written Volume 26: Katelyn Beaty
Hey friends,
When we decided to relaunch Just Written, today’s guest, Katelyn Beaty, was on my short list of people I wanted to feature. I first started following Katelyn’s work when she was working at Christianity Today, where she was the magazine’s youngest and first female managing editor. In addition to editing a major publication, Katelyn has written a book—A Women’s Place, published by Simon & Schuster—and had her writing and reporting on politics, religion, and culture published in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more. She currently works as an acquisitions editor for Brazos Press.
In other words, she’s seen every side of the publishing industry in a relatively short amount of time, and she’s generous with the knowledge and insights she’s picked up along the way. To read some of her excellent work, start here.
- Cort
What are the tools of the trade you can't live without?
My tools are pretty basic. I keep several notepads for different projects, including article ideas, to-do lists for my full-time job (as an acquisitions editor with Brazos Press), and my own book projects. Lined Moleskins are what I use the most; they just feel so nice in the hand. My software is Microsoft Word; I’ve heard folks recommend software systems like Evernote, but I want to keep the process simple. For productivity, I use a free Chrome app called StayFocusd to block social media websites, and the 1-click Timer Chrome extension for tracking time spent on particular projects. I use TapeaCall pro on my phone for recording interviews.
Tell us about the process of taking a piece from an idea to a published essay.
Having worked as a magazine editor for several years, I think most editors would rather have a pitch than a fully written essay, so they can help shape it for their particular audience. My pitches are typically two to three paragraphs and include a central argument and links to data or other articles that provide context and help support the argument I want to make. Naturally I pitch in a way that will appeal to a particular publication’s audience, and I only pitch one outlet at a time for courtesy. Of course, you don’t always hear back from editors, so I’ll wait a few days before pitching elsewhere unless the article is very time-sensitive. But I tend to pitch outlets where I have a relationship with an editor, because I do think that personal connection and prior work helps to get your pitch on someone’s radar.
As a first-time author, what unexpected challenges did you face when writing and publishing A Woman’s Place?
A book is by far the most challenging writing project I’ve taken on, not only because of the length of the project and the research and energy invested, but also because a book has to “hold together” from beginning to end, and it can be hard to maintain organization of thought for 60,000 words, say. Looking back on the process for A Woman’s Place, I wish I had spent less time researching to support my claims and had been more confident in what I wanted to say. There’s a trepidation going into a book, because once those words are on the printed page, you can’t take them back. (That’s true for online publishing, but the shelf life of most online articles is shorter than books.) And naturally I was writing about a touchy subject (gender in the church). But I wish I had trusted my own instincts more heading in.
The other sometimes-harsh reality is that so much of releasing a book is the marketing and promotion involved in the launch. You can have a stellar book in terms of editorial content, but if you don’t invest in self-marketing (I know, ick), few people will find it. Promoting a book is the real work that starts right after you’ve completed the manuscript. If you’re working with a traditional publisher with a strong marketing and sales team, they will still expect you to promote your book.
You’re now an acquisitions editor for Brazos Press. When you’re considering book proposals or manuscripts, what are you looking for?
When I receive a proposal, I’m looking for many things. We sometimes talk internally about a three-legged stool: the topic, the writing, and the author platform. So, is the topic timely and meeting a felt need? Is the writing good? And is the author the right person to write on this topic, and do they have online visibility and/or organizational connections to drive book sales? We can sometimes work with projects where only two of the three stools are present, but the ideal is for all three to be standing strong.
Common mistakes I see include lack of chapter outline—the chapter-by-chapter summary of the book and how it will all hold together. Sometimes an author has a great topic but only a faint idea of what they want to say on that topic. Increasingly, though, I see lots of proposals where the emphasis is on the author’s platform and brand and not on the book itself. It’s almost like a book is intended to serve as brand booster. Needless to say, do not write a book to get more social media followers.
You’ve seen just about every angle of the publishing world. What fills you with hope for the future of the industry? What fills you with despair?
Despite ongoing questions about the sustainability of journalism as a career, I think the past four years have been an exciting time to be a journalist, to make complex ideas and events accessible for a broader public. Journalists hold leaders and institutions accountable in a way few other institutions do. So that gives me hope.
What gives me despair is how easy it is to waste time scrolling Twitter! It’s a forum I feel I need to be in—both to follow the news and conversations happening in the church, but also to find and connect with prospective authors. At the same time, the addictive nature of social media is by now indisputable, I think, and I’m not always sure it brings out our best instincts and postures toward other people. I feel like I’m constantly reassessing my relationship with Twitter and whether the payoff is worth it.
What practical advice do you have for young people—and young women in particular—who aspire to be a writer or an editor?
Seek out workplaces that are willing to try new things, to consider your insights and knowledge (however limited that might be starting out in) and innovate based on broader industry trends and audience felt needs. Also seek out workplaces that invest in you as a valuable member of the team (no unpaid internships if you can avoid it). For young women, naturally you want to find a workplace that has women in positions or leadership or where there’s an institutional investment in mentoring young people to eventually fill those positions of leadership.
What We’re Reading:
Cort: My wife and I went on vacation this past week, and I read Christopher Beha’s novel The Index of Self-Destructive Acts in about one day. If you like stories about wealthy families, the publishing industry, and/or baseball, this one is for you.
Joseph: A rule of mine: read everything Leslie Jamison writes. Her most recent piece, The Self Unmoored, is part book review part memoir exploring a novel about divorce alongside her own recent divorce. I love the usage of criticism as a gateway to exploring her own personal history.
For past volumes of Just Written, visit our archive. If you have questions, thoughts, or suggestions, just reply to this email. See you next week.